Queen's Ford, built in the reign of Queen Elizabeth and home to the noble Forde family for centuries, is crumbling into ruin. Devastated by the reduced circumstances in which he finds himself due to the outlandish spending of his late father, the current Lord Fordcombe simply cannot afford to repair it. With only a few loyal servants to serve the family, even the once beautiful gardens and stables are shabby and unkempt. In fact the Forde family, blue-blooded and aristocratic, who have entertained more than one English Monarch during their illustrious past, are now so poor that they struggle to find money for food. Driven beyond endurance and crushed by the monotony of poverty, Jeremy, the handsome twenty-one year old son of Lord Fordcombe decides that something desperate must be done. Artfully persuading his eldest sister, Mariota, to sacrifice her principles and go along with his daring plan, she joins him in holding up a coach masquerading as highwaymen. But as the usually honest and kind Mariota catches a glimpse of the terrified woman they are robbing, she knows that this is something she should never have allowed. About to call off Jeremy, who is wild-eyed with excitement and oblivious to the upset he is causing, she suddenly sees a gentleman taking aim with his gun behind her brother. In a split second she fires, blinded to the consequences of her actions through her love for her brother. As the dust settles on the lonely road she realises that the handsome Earl of Buckenham is injured and, eager to avoid the gallows, the subdued siblings bring him to their home to heal. Desperately sorry by the trouble they have caused, Mariota proceeds to nurse him better, praying for forgiveness and willing the Earl to improve. But the unforeseen dramas that arise from that one action alter the lives of everyone involved forever.

When Angus McKeith knocks on the door, the lives of Fiona Windham and her niece and ward Mary-Rose are changed forever. Following the recent death of Fiona's father, Lord Ian Rannock, and sister, Rosemary, the child has become heir-presumptive to her Scottish uncle, the Duke of Strathrannock, who has summoned Mary-Rose to his castle in Scotland. Reluctantly complying, but insisting that she accompany Mary-Rose, Fiona finds the Duke handsome, yet distant and cold. Ostracised by the Highland community after the mysterious disappearance of his wife, the Duchess, and a bitter feud with his father, the Duke has withdrawn from Society and seems an insensitive, even brutal man. Soon, though, as Fiona's innocent beauty warms the Duke's cold heart and love between them blossoms. But when she attempts to solve the mystery that traps him in the past, Fiona finds herself in mortal danger at the hands of a woman possessed by a deranged desire for vengeance.

Anthea Forthingdale and her sisters Thais, Chloe and Phebe have all been named after famous poems. All very beautiful, after their father's death at Waterloo the girls and their lovely mother, Christobel, are alone and isolated, living in poverty in a small Yorkshire village. Struggling for money and appropriate suitors for her daughter, In May 1819 Lady Forthingdale writes to an old friend, the Countess of Sheldon in London and asks if she will have her Godchild Anthea to stay for the rest of the London Season. The Countess is delighted to have Anthea as her guest because otherwise her husband wishes her to leave for the country. How Anthea meets the handsome Duke of Axminster in her Godmother's house, how he appears bored and contemptuous with her when they dance at Almack's, how Anthea caricatures the Duke with far-reaching and dramatic results and how she learns never to laugh at love, is told in this 182nd book by Barbara Cartland. Published 1976

Their love was supposed to last forever. But when life delivered blow after devastating blow, Yasmen and Josiah Wade found that love alone couldn’t solve or save everything.

It couldn’t save their marriage.

Yasmen wasn’t prepared for how her life fell apart, but she’s is finally starting to find joy again. She and Josiah have found a new rhythm, co-parenting their two kids and running a thriving business together. Yet like magnets, they’re always drawn back to each other, and now they’re beginning to wonder if they’re truly ready to let go of everything they once had.

Soon, one stolen kiss leads to another…and then more. It's hot. It's illicit. It's all good—until old wounds reopen. Is it too late for them to find forever? Or could they even be better, the second time around?

The second book in the international bestselling Maxton Hall series—now a Prime Video streaming series—in English for the first time.

After all the hurt between them, will they be able to find their way back to each other?

Ruby Bell thought that she and James Beaufort had something special. She’s never had such strong feelings for someone. And after his betrayal, she’s also never felt this much hurt. Ruby just wants her old life back before she knew anyone at Maxton Hall, before she knew James. She used to be able to rely on her studies to keep her focused, but school is no longer a refuge—not when she sees James everywhere. But she has to stay on track, especially with university looming over them and the uncertainty of what the future holds.

Despite everything, Ruby wants to support James as he struggles with his father’s expectations of him taking over the family business. But she makes one thing very clear: she is not willing to forgive him or give him a second chance. As love and hate compete for Ruby's heart, James will try everything he can to win her back. 

Beautiful eighteen-year-old Norina is dismayed when her widowed father Lord Sedgewyn quickly remarries to society beauty Violet - and even more so when she discovers her new stepmother's wicked plot to poison her and inherit a fortune held in trust for Norina. In fear for her life, she flees in disguise, securing a position as secretary to a temporarily blinded French Nobleman who whisks her away to Paris and then to his opulent South of France villa. Just as her rakish new employer's eyes begin to heal and are opened to Norina's innocent loveliness, the evil Violet's henchmen kidnap her. Facing certain death in a monastic cell, Norina realises that her employer, Le Marquis de Charlamont, will never know that she has given him her heart -

Craig Vandervelt, handsome son of the richest man in America is begged by his cousin, the Marquis of Lansdowne, the British Foreign Secretary, to undertake a secret mission in the most flamboyant principality in Europe - Monte Carlo. Intrigued by the fact that one of Britain's top agents in India, the reclusive but respected Randall Sare, has disappeared without a trace, Craig agrees once more to use his playboy status as a mask to find out what is really happening. Craig is also told to beware of a beautiful Russian Countess suspected of being a spy. Young, glamorous and continually in the company of Lord Neasdon, a newcomer to the Foreign Office, she is suspected of using her charms to lure Neasdon into inadvertently give her information regarding the British interests in Tibet. Moving amongst Europe's elite and the beauties of the Beau Monde in the gambling houses of Monte Carlo, Craig is soon drawn into danger and treachery, which threatens the delicate political situation between Britain and Russia. But as he uncovers each secret, moving ever nearer to the centre of the plot, he discovers something he never expected to find - true love.

The Duke of Brockenhurst, bored by Society and cynical about the beautiful women who cast themselves before him in a desperate bid to become his Duchess, accepts a wager to ride from London to York alone and incognito. Outraged by the suggestion that he has lost his verve and the command he once had whilst distinguishing himself in the Army, he decides to reflect on his future, whilst setting himself the challenge to move amongst ordinary people undetected. Valora Melford is bereaved of her beloved father and left in the care of her grasping stepmother. Determined to force her lovely stepdaughter to marry the dissolute Sir Mortimer, who is willing to pay ten thousand pounds for the pleasure, she first entreats and then threatens Valora to do as she is told. However, Valora is made of stronger stuff than her fragile exterior would suggest and she tells her stepmother in no uncertain terms that she will not marry the repulsive old Baronet. In fact Valora is adamant that she will never marry at all, as she does not believe that true love exists. Overhearing a distraught Valora arguing with her cruel stepmother in the room next to his, the Duke of Brockenhurst decides to step in and help the maiden that he can hear is clearly in distress. With his disguise unbroken, he decides to help her escape from the inn they are staying in and avoid an unwanted marriage. Immediately trusting the handsome stranger who offers to protect her until she reaches the shelter of her grandfather's house in York, Valora packs her few possessions and they steal away together. But ten thousand pounds is a lot of money to lose and it does not take Valora's stepmother long to realise that her stepdaughter has escaped. Outraged, she quickly dispatches two henchmen hell-bent on dragging Valora back to the altar. With her captors in hot pursuit, it appears that Valora's escape is doomed and the Duke's mask will be uncovered. Drawing ever closer, the Duke must use all of his Military skills and natural quick wits to keep them safe. With danger and trickery at every turn, Valora is forced to depend upon a man whose real name she does not even know.

Notorious throughout the Beau Monde as something of a Casanova, the dashing and raffish Virgo, Marquis of Fane, cares little for the swooning Society beauties who fall at his feet. His true passion is for his racehorses and for art - and it is love at first sight when he sets eyes on a painting of the Madonna entitled The Virgin of the Lilies. But while investigating the painting's dubious provenance the Marquis encounters Cyrilla, the shy and beautiful daughter of the artist and is instantly, utterly bewitched. Soon their two hearts beat as one and their love seems Heaven sent. "My darling, you are not only divine and ethereal, but also human," the Marquis exclaims. "Let me take you away - find a house - we will be alone " But the Fate that brought them together seems bent on tearing them apart when Cyrilla realises no that matter how deep her love, she cannot do what he asks.

Lord Frodham and his friend Sir James Overton lay a wager that they can dupe the snobbish, horse racing-obsessed Marquis of Ardsley into falling in love with some beauty of the lower orders. They can hardly believe their luck when by chance they rescue lovely young heiress Indira Rowlandson from her dead father's evil lawyer who is bent on marrying her off to a bankrupt stranger. Indira is set on joining a Convent to escape the unwanted attentions of men, whom she hates, but, agreeing to their plan out of gratitude, she finds herself among high Society at Ardsley Hall. And, finding that the imperious Marquis shares her passion for the mysteries of the Orient, in spite of herself she begins to fall in love.

King Maximilian of Valdastien, handsome, clever but with a well deserved reputation as a ladies man, is under pressure from his Prime Minister to leave behind his bachelor ways, get married and produce an heir as soon as possible. Despite the fact that he vowed never to marry, with political unrest in Europe and encroaching danger from the Prussians, the King reluctantly decides to visit the surrounding countries to seek a suitable Queen. Meanwhile, beautiful but tempestuous Princess Zita flies across the alpine countryside of neighbouring Aldross on her dazzling horse Pegasus. Full of a fire that matches the stunning flame red of her hair and sparkling with intelligence, Zita could not be more different to her elder sister, the placid and homely Princess Sophie. So when a visit by King Maximilian is heralded, their shrewd mother wastes no time in ordering Princess Zita to stay out of sight so that she cannot catch the King's eye and ruin any matrimonial chances for her sister. Angry at being left out and curious to see a real King, especially one with such an intriguing reputation, Zita cooks up a cunning plan to disguise herself as a simple country girl. Enlisting the help of her secret friend Gretel, Zita is sure that the rest of her family will be far too busy preparing for the King's visit to guess what she is scheming. But Fate has other things in store for Zita and, although her plans to catch a glimpse of their esteemed guest go to plan, she ends up getting much more than she bargained for. Dazzled by the charm and wit of the King and, sensing that she has found a kindred spirit, she is desperate that he should not find out her secret and discover who she really is. But if she is honest with herself, having met him once, she wishes that she could see him a good deal more. Torn between her feelings for the King and her sense of family duty it seems that the only course she can take is to make sure that their paths never cross again.

Uncover the miracles of "Sacred Tears" in this engaging tale. The story begins in London during the summer of 1993 and Dean decides to take a coffee break from writing his novel. While he was sitting in a restaurant, a stunningly beautiful lady walked in, wrapped in a vivid white shroud of light. Dean found himself longing to engage in conversation with her so he could ask her out, but then he noticed a wedding ring on her finger, so he had to fight back his emotions. One day they happened to meet by chance and as they got to know each other and the years went by, their love for each other developed into a warm, cherished, tender, miraculous love but then something tragic happened; Emma was knocked down by a hit-and-run-driver and left seriously ill. Will she remember Dean? Years later while enjoying every moment they had together, they couldn't resist having a passionate day of intense pleasure. Dean decided to try his luck with the Euro-Millions lottery and won millions of pounds, leaving Emma worried that Dean would leave her. But then something tragic happened; Dean was stabbed and Emma was unsure if he would live. Had she lost her beloved, forever? Would her "Sacred Tears" work a miracle for them?

Once upon a time, there was a little boy.
His belly full of laughter, his life full of joy.
Until one day, something changed; stripped his innocence away.
The hole inside making space for the devil to come and play.
His dreams gone forever, he grew up way too fast.
An endless night of crocodiles, and watches made of glass.
He grew into a villain, the taste of vengeance on his tongue.
Craving to make his enemies pay for the misdeeds they had done.
Instead he found a darling girl, and refused to let her go.
For what better way to make the man pay, than to steal his little shadow.

*Hooked is a full-length, complete standalone in the Never After Series: A collection of fractured fairy tales where the villains get the happy ever after. It is a dark, contemporary romance (Not a fantasy and not a retelling) featuring mature themes and content that may not be suitable for all audiences. Reader discretion is advised.

The Marquis of Stowe is on the verge of a dreadful scandal that threatens to ruin both him and the lovely, but married, Lady Burnham. Knowing that their secret is out and that her husband will be plotting revenge, the Marquis casts about desperately for a way to avoid the scandal, which he knows is inevitable despite the wealth and good looks that have made him a darling of the Beau Monde. Seeing a perfect solution, he decides to offer marriage to the Duke of Dawlish's daughter and leaves for the country. Surely the Duke will be grateful for his daughter to make such a match? There is only one problem - marrying the Duke's daughter might provide a way out of his current dilemma, but having met her the Marquis is dismayed by her dullness. Horrified at the sacrifice he would have to make, he suddenly realises that there is another way to put the cuckolded husband off the scent and preserve his freedom - as long as he can find a young woman happy to go along with his seemingly foolproof idea. Eager to renew his acquaintance with Ajanta Tiverton, the beautiful daughter of a local Vicar, the Marquis hurtles to the Vicarage to tell her his plan and the role that only she can play. Certain that this will get him out of immediate danger and sure that he can offer an attractive financial incentive to help the impoverished family, it seems that if their daring charade is successful everyone involved will benefit. All Ajanta has to do is play her part and all will be well. Swept into a rich luxurious world they have never known before, the Marquis sets out to charm the Vicar and Ajanta's sisters. Delighted by their new surroundings and excited by the attention of the eloquent Marquis they cannot believe the happiness Ajanta has bought into their lives. But the Marquis is not the only one masking the truth - Ajanta too has a family secret she would prefer not to share and, as the deception continues and feelings run high, she cannot help but worry what will happen in the final Act of their play and where the curtain will fall.

Forced to leave her home on the coast in order to find work, Meg Wilson finds initial employment as a carer at a rehabilitation centre for wounded ex-servicemen with the promise of being able to study for a future nursing career. Meg however is particularly drawn to one of the patients, an American by birth who is now struggling to come to terms with prosthetic limbs. Yet David is also a married man with a wife and child back in the States and eventually this is where he returns. This is hardly the end of the matter however for a couple of years later he returns to England, initially to foolhardily attempting the coast to coast walk before later accompanying a group of amputees from the centre in the States, where he now works as a manager, to the Paralympic games in London. This time around the fact that he is a married man seems to have little bearing on her emotions. Life however is not without throwing obstacles in their path, one of which comes in the form of Marion, David's estranged wife, and the other from someone out of her own past whom she would rather have forgotten.

Young London man about town Hamish McMurdock bears a grudge against his uncle, the Earl of Kilmurdock, because he refused to consider Hamish's money-making plan of selling lobsters, crabs and salmon from the family estate The refusal is unreasonable but understandable because, although a young man, the Earl is embittered, hating all women after having his heart broken unforgivably. Hamish, though, plans to teach his uncle a lesson by sending an unknowing young woman to the Earl's Highland castle to care for what she believes is a blind and deaf old man. Almost destitute after the death of her parents, innocent young Jacoba answers Hamish's advertisement. Arriving timidly at The Castle in Scotland, she is horrified when the Earl flies into a fury and orders her away rudely. It is only when she collapses in exhaustion that she is allowed to stay. And when the Earl is terribly wounded by poachers, she nurses him tenderly back to health. All the time love is blossoming in her heart - but surely as soon as he recovers from his wounds he will simply send her away - ?

The Marquis of Havingham visits his mother in Harrogate to tell her he intends to marry Lady Beryl Fern, the most acclaimed beauty in the Prince Regent's circle. This should be the happiest day of his life - he is handsome, fabulously wealthy and now about to be a bridegroom. There is only one cloud on the horizon - he is not in love. Convinced that true love is not worth the heartache, and that marriage to the 'Incomparable' Lady Beryl, will work because of their shared interests and position amongst the Beau Monde, only his mother is worried that he may be making a terrible mistake. For Torilla, the daughter of a clergyman working in the deprived mining village of Barrowfield, the news of the wedding means travelling South to be her cousin, Lady Beryl's, bridesmaid. Torilla is excited, not only about the wedding, but also the opportunity to return to the genteel parish she and her father left after the tragic death of her mother. For a young woman who has spent time amongst the grime and squalor of the mines, the lavish preparations and generosity of her cousin seem at times almost overwhelming. But as the wedding draws ever nearer Torilla cannot help wondering how attached the betrothed couple really are to each other. Their relationship is certainly nothing like the perfect soul mates that the cousins used to dream of. Afraid to question her cousin, Torilla unknowingly shares the same concerns as the Marquis' mother. Can a marriage really work that is based only on convenience? And as Torilla gets to know the Marquis better she becomes even more convinced that this is not a match made in heaven. But will anyone be brave enough to say something? With her feelings in turmoil and filled with concern for the future happiness of all, Torilla certainly hopes so.

The death of her beloved father, has left artistic and idealistic Tempera and her stunning, scatterbrained stepmother Lady Rothley bereft not only of love but also of money. So when Lady Rothley's womanly wiles attract an invitation from none other than the Duke of Chevingham to join him in the South of France, it's a Godsend. At last ? the prospect of a handsome, aristocratic suitor for Tempera's Belle-m?re who would keep them both in the style to which they would dearly love to be re-acquainted To arrive without a lady's maid is inconceivable ? to afford one impossible. So Tempera escorts her Belle-m?re in the guise of a servant and attempts to coach her in fine art, the Duke's consuming passion. While her stepmother flirts with C?te D?Azur society Tempera contents herself with capturing the local flora's beauty on canvas. And when the flair she inherited from her father captivates and mystifies the magnificent Duke, something stirs in Tempera that she has never felt before. Is it love? Or is it betrayal?

Eighteen-year-old Fenella is a mischievous as her freckled elfin beauty and feline green eyes suggest - but beneath that puckish charm she hides her ardent desire to do all in her power to make her beloved cousin Periquine, Lord Corbury, happy. When to her chagrin the dashing Lord returns from the Napoleonic War after fighting with Wellington, penniless and passionately in love with another - a woman of great wealth and even greater beauty, whom he cannot marry without wealth of his own, Fenella sacrifices her private passion to his wellbeing. Laying her life and her love on the line, she joins Periquine in a swashbuckling and death-defying life of crime as highwaymen, robbers and smugglers. Will their exploits reap the riches he needs? And will Fenella's all-conquering love remain unrequited? Only when Perequine faces losing her forever will he find the answer in his heart...

The Viscount Frome is in love, and intends to marry Claribel Stamford, belle of the Social Set, as quickly as possible. She is young, beautiful, charming and rich ? in fact he considers her the perfect match. The only drawback is that he needs the permission of his uncle, the Duke of Alverstrode before he can propose. The Duke, a more cautious man experienced in the wiles of aspirational young women, suggests a visit to Claribel's home to meet her doting father Sir Jarvis, the well known race-horse owner. That way, the Duke can get to know Claribel and her father and set his mind at rest before welcoming her into his illustrious family. Impressed by Stamford Towers, but eager to escape the heady charm offensive of Claribel and her father, the Duke cannot shake the instinct that something is not right and remains on his guard. Even so, he is shocked to discover a sad young woman, Giona, alone watching the sunset over the magnificent gardens. He is astonished to discover that she is the niece of Sir Jarvis, but lives hidden away like a ?skeleton in the closet?. Horrified by her story of mistreatment, and intrigued by the mystery that surrounds her, the Duke offers Giona his protection and vows to uncover the family secret and restore her fortunes. But Sir Jarvis is just as committed to keeping his family secrets buried forever and will stop at nothing to keep his reputation intact. Two determined men, both used to getting their own way, but this time only one of them can win.

The Duke of Buckhurst, handsome, wealthy, a brilliant horseman and known to everyone as 'Buck' has sworn that he will never marry. Cutting a swathe through the sophisticated beauties of the Beau Monde, who are drawn to his sardonic charm like social butterflies to a bright light, he has only one requirement for his amours - that they are safely married to someone else. That is until he discovers that his heir apparent, his dissolute cousin Edmund, has married an actress. Horrified that a common showgirl will become the next Duchess and bring his family name into disrepute, the Duke is forced by his family into finding a bride. Bored by the very thought of being tied to a young, inexperienced young woman, he sets his loyal sisters the daunting task of choosing a suitable wife within the month, so that he can be married before the Royal races at Ascot. With time running out, Buck's sisters are in despair - until they meet Lady Samala Wynn, the daughter of the honorable but impoverished Earl of Kenwyn. Lovely, innocent and angel-faced, she seems the ideal bride, but can they persuade her to marry their rakish brother, Buck? For Samala is a young woman with her own ideas about marriage - and they include love and romance. But can a marriage between two strangers, built on a foundation of the groom's resentment and the bride's family duty, ever bring happiness and love? As the Duke, furious at the prospect of losing his freedom, dallies with the latest married woman to fall all too eagerly into his arms and Samala worries how her beloved father will cope living alone in his crumbling estate, it seems that this is a match that is doomed to bring nothing but sadness.

Even amid the genteel grandeur of Venice, the Marquis of Wynchcombe's ennui is undiminished. His fiery mistress Francesca, a beautiful and flamboyant Venetian actress, bores him almost as much as the company of the Beau Monde and royal acolyte with whom he associates. So when an impoverished but delicately alluring young Englishwoman - Lucia - accosts him at a cafe and beseeches him to peruse the painting of her dying father, he is intrigued - more so when he realises that Lucia's father is a genius... But then he dies. Lucia is distraught and destitute but the Marquis saves her from penury by buying her father's every painting, promising to take her home to England. Enraged by her beau's apparent infatuation with the young ingenue, Francesca stabs him with a stiletto... But it's Lucia who has truly pierced his heart and stolen his soul - and just as the Marquis thinks she will be his forever, she delivers the heartbreaking words: 'Although I love you with all my heart I cannot be your wife...'

While staying at Lady Merrill's French Riviera villa, flame haired and beautiful American heiress Nevada van Arden passes her time by casually breaking the hearts of her many ardent suitors - particularly that of young David, Lord Merrill. When his uncle, intrepid explorer and diplomat Tyrone Strome, overhears her cruel humiliation of his lovelorn nephew, he resolves to teach this 'vixen' a lesson - and save David from his misery. Tyrone Strome abducts Nevada, spiriting her away in his luxury yacht to Morocco. There the reluctant voyager, swaddled in native clothing, is terrified by the perils of the Sahara and its nomadic tribesmen. But, as they flee from certain death or worse, they find sanctuary in a beautiful hidden valley, a second Garden of Eden, where to Nevada's surprise, love begins to blossom in the desert.

Dutiful, demure and far lovelier than she knows, Princess Zosina, the eldest daughter of the Archduke Ferdinand of Lutzelstein, is reluctantly obedient when her father announces that she must marry King Gyorgy of neighbouring Dorsia in order to create an alliance between the two nations that will defend them against the threat from the German Empire. Arriving in Dorsia on a State visit she is greeted by the country's Regent, a kind, handsome and very considerate Prince. By contrast and much to Zosina's dismay, her future husband King Gyorgy is as wild and disagreeable as his reputation had suggested. It seems that for the sake of her country she must yield to a life without love - until dramatic events supersede even the power of Kings and the hope is rekindled in the young Princess Zosina's heart that happiness and true love will triumph after all.